Abstract

Inheritance and fruit production studies were carried out with an Abelmoschus esculentus cultivar, Okpa mkpe (P₁), which expresses a mutant trait that produces multiple small fruits per node (msfpn) and two elite A. esculentus cultivars, Awgu early (P₂) and Mpi ele (P₃), as well as a high yielding A. callei cultivar, Ogolo (P₄); all of which produce the conventional solitary fruit per node (sofpn). The aim was to meet consumer’s need for small sized fresh marketable okra fruits in the region. The inheritance studies showed that the mutant trait was controlled by a pair of dominant genes. The fruit morphometric studies showed that the A. esculentus cultivars and their hybrids differed significantly in length of fruit (LOF), diameter of fruit (DOF), circumference of fruit (COF), area of fruit (AOF) and volume of fruit (VOF). The direct cross of the mutant parent to the two elite A. esculentus cultivars showed that all the F₁ hybrids produced small sized fruits. On the average, multiple small sized marketable fruits were produced on 61% of fruit-bearing nodes of P₁, 58% of P₁ x P₂ hybrid and 52% of P₁ x P₃ hybrid fruit-bearing nodes, respectively. The percentage reduction in fruit parameters of the msfpn fruits in comparison with the sofpn fruits ranged from 14.28 to 23% for LOF, 10.47 to 15.12% for DOF and 11.18 to 18.89% for COF fruit parameters. Attempts to cross the msfpn parent (P₁) with an A. callei (late okra) elite cultivar, P₄, proved inconclusive. The discovery of the msfpn trait on an A. callei cultivar, Ojo ogwu, creates a possible opportunity for transferring the trait among A. callei cultivars. It is concluded that exploitation of the msfpn mutant trait could result to meeting okra consumers’ need for small sized fruits in the region and pave the way for exporting small sized fruits; which are in great demand by okra canning industries overseas.

Key words: Abelmoschus species, mutant trait inheritance, multiple fruits per node, smallsized fruits.